OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson June 18, 2014

garden 2014 // week 2

Two weeks into this garden experiment, and things continue to grow, especially the zucchini! I’m worried that I might not have allotted enough space for it as it’s kind of overpowering the butternut squash. We also got a few new plants this week: a raspberry bush and some heirloom pole beans from my neighbor across the street (thank you, Rebecca!); and a bit of mint that I acquired from the garden at the Primary School. Their mint is completely out of control, so I’m sure it won’t be missed. Having battled a mint infestation at one of our prior homes, my one word of advice is that you should NEVER plant mint outside of a pot, unless you want it everywhere. We also had our first “harvest,” though it was really just a broken chard leaf. I fed it to Zane. (I also sampled the basil — time to make pesto!)

Kelli Ann Wilson June 16, 2014

children’s museum // boston

Kelli Ann Wilson June 13, 2014

24 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: Last night you were really sad because you had a mild argument with one of your friends on Minecraft. Then you told us that one of your favorite online friends from Chicken Smoothie had left the forums. You were visibly upset about both situations. I know how hard it is for you to find kids that are share your interests and can appreciate your idiosyncrasies, and I can see that you are frightened of losing the special friends that you have made. But, actually, friendships change over time. I didn’t realize that until I was an adult, but it’s true! In fact, most close relationships have an ebb and flow to them; sometimes you won’t be in sync and sometimes it will work like magic. You just have to ride the wave.

Zane: All this rain has been kind of a downer, huh? You’re the type of guy that needs to be outside, a lot. I’ve been trying to keep you entertained, but mostly you’re just upending coffee tables and tearing apart the couch. If we had a bigger house, I would just fill one of the rooms with old furniture and let you go at it! The highlight of your week was definitely visiting Daddy, and opening a savings account, at the bank. You really love to chat with grown-ups, and you’ve recently started telling “tall tales.” Thankfully, I think drier weather is on the horizon so we’ll be able to run around outside again soon.

Kelli Ann Wilson June 10, 2014

garden 2014 // week 1

I’m pleased to say that, despite the trials and tribulations involved in getting everything set up, our vegetable garden is doing great! We purchased plants that were already started, but even after just a week I can definitely see a difference. Some of them have grown a lot! We have both beds planted now and I’ll include a garden plan in my next post so you can see what we planted and where. I ended up putting some chicken wire over the tops of the plants (I cut holes for them, which was a huge pain) because we have so many free-roaming cats around here (5 of them!). I don’t want any kitties to think my raised beds are their personal toilets. So far it’s working great and the cats haven’t bothered my veggies. If anyone local has the same problem, I have a ton of chicken wire leftover and you’re welcome to have some of it.

Kelli Ann Wilson June 9, 2014

blooming right now

I never really saw it coming, but it turns out that I love gardening. I’m no expert, but I’ve managed to keep what was already here alive, plus I’ve added some things over the past couple of years. Flowers make fantastic photography subjects, so I have lots of inspiration right in my own front (and back) yard. They’re particularly interesting to shoot with a macro lens (which is what I used for these photos). Currently we have rhododendron, salvia, allium, and several species of iris in full bloom. It’s beautiful.